a different kind of home improvement

In 1987 I built a house with my dad, it was the second house we built together (more on the first one another day, it was Penny-sized). I have fond memories of building it then decorating with furniture my mother received as a child from her parents.

A few weeks ago, when visiting with mum, I retrieved that house from the attic where it rested for over twenty years.

Today it sits on my workbench waiting for me to make decisions about how I want to renovate it.

A few decisions are easy, Dad and I had plans to add electricity. Today with LEDs and knowledge of basic circuits, I look forward to wiring it up.

I need to fix all of the siding and repaint; I recall my research was that salmon was an appropriate colour for a house of this type, but I’m not sure I’ll keep that detail. I also need to fix the roof, we lost a few shingles as I pried it out of its attic corner and when we put it into the car. Maybe I’ll even add an addition and build a sunroom!

For the interior, I need to decide if I want to decorate entirely with the furniture mum gifted me (acquiring missing pieces via ebay), or update to my tastes and keep a few sentimental pieces on display. It’s been cleared out in preparation for all the work to come.

In any case, I need to catch up on what’s out there and where to source pieces that I can’t easily make myself. I’m really excited about this project and curious to see where it leads.

• Category: house